Jurassic Park Jeep #12

[Derelicte]

Hey guys, I've been interested in the JP jeep since I first saw the original Jurassic Park. I'm now wanting to put my plan in obtaining this jeep into motion. Currently I'm saving up the money to do so, but, since I don't have a high paying job like I would like this slows down my plans by a lot. I hope to have this thing finished by the time Jurassic World comes out next year. However, again with the money issue only time will tell. As of right now I'm currently getting all of the information I need to do this. I've seen a few guys online who have done the same thing. Boomerjinks, and a few other guys I've talked to on the RPF.

I do have a family friend who owns his own car lot so I'm hoping he'll be able to find me a good Jeep. I have plenty of time to do this so I can be picky on the Jeep I want. I'm going to try and get a Jeep that has no rust on it. Obviously it'll be more expensive but as my knowledge on cars is laughable I would rather pay for a no rust Jeep now than having to pay someone to fix it up for me. I'm also wondering how much work Jeeps are going to need. On Boomerjinks' Jeep he didn't really say if there was anything wrong with the Jeep that he bought. So I have no idea if there was any extra expenses. His Jeep was bought for 4 grand on ebay. Now if there wasn't very much wrong with it that would be a good deal. Now I know that something that old is going to need some work done on it.

As for the paint job I'd like to get it done professionally. I don't want to be the guy who has a crappy paint job on the car. Plus I don't have the equipment nor the facilities to work on a vehicle paint job. I'm heading to a guy in town this week who does paint jobs and get an estimate. I'm thinking the paint job will be about 2 or 3 grand. Then onto the other stuff such as the winch, fog lights, and anything else that needs to be changed from the Wrangler to make it more authentic.

I've also had people tell me that Jeeps are way too easy to flip. I'd be using this Jeep as my everyday vehicle but to my understanding it's just like any other SUV but in the case that it's just unbearable to drive around in I could always lower the vehicle about 2".

Anybody who could help me out with information (the more the better) I'm just trying to get as much info as possible before I start this venture. I've talked to my family about it they think the idea is stupid. However, my friends have been more supportive of it. This has been on my mind since last year. Now I'm just trying to kick myself into gear to get this whole thing going. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[KevinBGoode]

I hope to start my build soon as well.
So Ill be looking forward to seeing your progress
have you checked on jurassicparkjeep.com yet? Alot of info and where to find alot for the jeep.

 

[Derelicte]

I'll have to check that site out. I've only been on jurassicjeep.com I'm just dying waiting to even get the jeep. I need instant gratification. :lol

 

[Beer_Money_Props]

I'm a long time Jeep owner. In my lifetime I've owned 2 Cherokees, and 2 older Wranglers (Both TJ's)...My current ride is a 2013 JK. I also consider myself to be a relatively well versed grease monkey so I feel like I can pass on more information than your average Joe.

Reliability wise, you're not going to find an engine more bullet proof than the 4.0 liter straight 6 most of the YJ's (the model you want) came with. It's always been good to me and everyone else I know who kept up with it. Keep fresh oil in it, check it regularly, don't skimp on the oil filter and it will run strong till you tell it to stop. 300,000 miles without a rebuild is not unheard of.

You can buy a complete crate motor and transmission for them for less than $3200. If you can find a clean bodied, non-driving YJ, any reputable auto shop can get you a brand new drivetrain installed for under $4500. Way less depending on how much they have left in the engine bay to rebuild. Personally I would stay away from the 2.6 liter 4 cylinder engine. It has no real power, even when mated to the manual tranny, and it's prone to overheating and eating bearings. IMHO, it's not enough engine for that much weight. Also, try to find one with a 5 speed manual. The 3 speed automatic truly sucks and you'll get passed by little old ladies in motorized scooters until it finds 2nd gear. It's especially bad when you need to power past something on the highway (like going around a slow moving Semi) and you have no top end to play with.

As for "flipping", unless you're out doing stupid things off road, the chance of it flipping is no greater than any other tall vehicle.
What most people don't understand is that it's not the sports car or family sedan they traded it in for. It wasn't designed to take corners at 40mph and launch from 0-60 in 10 seconds. They do get a little squirrelly in high wind, but it's no worse than my wife's Kia Soul in the same conditions. Use your head and you'll never have a problem.

I've seen Jeeps do amazing things in the right hands, and I've seen people seriously endanger their lives because they took chances they shouldn't have.
Take it slow till you know what it's capable of, then work your skill set up from there.

Now, when you say you're looking for a non-rusted Jeep AND you're on a budget, that's where I have bad news. These things are desirable. People pay silly money for a clean, dent free body. Most guys don't give a crap about the engine as it's probably getting an upgrade anyway so a clean, straight, rust free rolling chassis will sell for upwards of $7,000. My best advice for you is to start pal'ing around with someone who works on cars and learn everything you can between now and the time you're ready to buy. Especially how to patch holes in the body and replace rusted out hardware. These are Jeeps after all and the chances of finding one that Grandma drove only to church on Sundays is finding-a-unicorn-rare.

Something else to consider, high miles in the odometer doesn't mean that's how many miles are on the drivetrain. A LOT of Wranglers have spent their lives being towed behind motorhomes. If the person doing the towing didn't pull the driveshaft, the miles would still accumulate. Check under the front bumper for a long loose wire loom and heavy duty brackets. If you see them, the Jeep was flat towed around and probably has 1/4 of the miles it says it does on the odometer.

Jeeps aren't for everyone. But for the someone that they are for, nothing else will ever do.

 

[cpltony]

As a JP #18 owner myself I can say....you're going to love it.

That being said..don't rush it because it's an expensive thing to do.
I was lucky enough to find a clean Jeep already painted for $6,000 so I snapped that up, but if you are on a budget then take it one step at a time and don't skip on the important stuff.

This time of year people are buying because spring is on the way but people are also selling so check your local Craigslist for the 89-95 YJ models and don't be afraid to walk away from something that doesn't seem right.
Nothing worse than buying a beauty only to open the hood and find a beast.
That being said....they're easy to work on if you know what you're doing and parts are out there.

- - - Updated - - -

As a JP #18 owner myself I can say....you're going to love it.

That being said..don't rush it because it's an expensive thing to do.
I was lucky enough to find a clean Jeep already painted for $6,000 so I snapped that up, but if you are on a budget then take it one step at a time and don't skip on the important stuff.

This time of year people are buying because spring is on the way but people are also selling so check your local Craigslist for the 89-95 YJ models and don't be afraid to walk away from something that doesn't seem right.
Nothing worse than buying a beauty only to open the hood and find a beast.
That being said....they're easy to work on if you know what you're doing and parts are out there.

 

[Derelicte]

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the advice. I'm planning on a 10 grand budget; so if I find a good jeep for about 6,000 I can spend the rest on upgrading the jeep. That's if there is no other fixing up expenses. So since I'll be using this year to save up I can take my time and look around.

 

[Derelicte]

I thought I'd add to this again. I'm still in search of a Jeep I've waited a year and saved some money so I don't have to take out a loan. In the past year I've finished my Dennis Nedry costume, got a cryo can and I'm thinking about changing to the 012 JP Jeep since it would go along with my Dennis Nedry cosplay. I'm starting to get some parts in for the Jeep while a friend who owns an auto store is searching for a 90-95 Jeep for me. For now I'm just going to get the JP plates, mirror tags, cb antenna, and factory sidesteps (if I ever manage to come across one.) I've also made an InGen case that holds a flashlight and a couple of flares inspired by boomerjinks' build. One thing that bothered me though were the flares. I couldn't find any road flares what so ever. All I found were marine boat flares. Either way they'll work the same. The only road flares I found were online and they only came in bulk for $100. Yeah, I'll just stick with the four pack marine flares at wal-mart.
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Hope to have the Jeep by summertime so I could start working on it. It would be really great to get it done and finished before Jurassic World comes out. Most likely not going to happen though. But just letting everyone know it's still a work in progress. When I actually get the Jeep I'll post a new thread on the transformation.

 

[Bossk]

Hey Derek. I paid about $4200 for my red 95 yj and did everything myself for less than $1000 , probably closer to $500. I take my jeep to many shows and conventions, and made a complete Park gateway prop. I see you are in Indiana so not that far away. I will have it on display again at the Cincinnati Comic Expo in September along with my giant dragon and dewback props if you want to check it out and talk more about the build..

 

[DRay1218]

I always liked the jeeps better than the explorers. I wouldn't have thought of creating one. Very cool idea

 

[Derelicte]

I've finally got a Jeep. It's not the one I wanted to get but everyone I talked to said there's a lot of upkeep involved in with the older ones and I don't have anywhere to store the vehicle from the elements. After awhile I couldn't find one in good enough shape (Like I said I don't have space to even work on a vehicle.) So I just ended up buying a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. I really like the Jeep, and Jurassic Park was the movie that got me into Jeeps in the first place. It really sucks I didn't get the one I wanted but I was thinking of just making a custom Jurassic Park Jeep with this. It would have the same paint job as the original YJ the only thing different is that it's a new Jeep, it's lifted a little higher than a normal Jeep, It's got KC spotlights on it, and the rims aren't stock. I bought this one because of all of the extra stuff on it. I'd keep the rims I have now just paint them red. I also don't know if they have tan soft tops for newer Jeeps or not. I don't believe they do. Basically what I'm wanting to know is if this would even look good painted like a Jurassic Park Jeep. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[LTsmash1200]

In all fairness, most people won't know the difference and they'll think it's really cool that you have a JP jeep. The only people who will really care are like the people on here that are into being super accurate, but even then I can all but guarantee they'll still think it's cool.

 

[MWiggs]

Here's the website for the best source of replacement soft tops out there! They have two different flavors of tan depending on what you're looking for. They also have tons of other accessories for that beauty you picked up! Looking forward to seeing another classic out there. My wife wants me to sell my truck and buy a brand new 4-door to give the JP treatment to. I do a lot of four wheeling down in Moab (Utah) so mine would be lifted as well - I think it looks better that way anyway. You've got a great start! Can't wait to see progress.

http://www.bestop.com/component/products/?view=product&id=4

 

[Derelicte]

Hi everyone, I can't believe it's been 7 years since I made this thread. A lot has changed since I made the decision to do this build so I figured I'd update my thread with everything that's happened. So I sold my JK for a more practical vehicle in 2017 and was at the point where I just accepted the fact I wasn't going to ever even start on this build. In April of 2018 my father passed away. I always talked with him about doing a Jurassic Park Jeep and cars was one of those things we had in common, but I just never had the money or space for another vehicle. In his passing he left me some money which I knew he'd want me to finish this project we always talked about. In September of 2018 I found a 1994 Jeep Wrangler Sahara only a couple hours away from me that I was able to purchase for 4500. Now that I have the correct model Jeep I decided to go to what I originally wanted and do Dennis Nedry's Jeep. I was always interested in his character in the book and the movie so now that I have the correct Jeep I want to go all out. Now that I have a better paying job and a home of my own I feel it's going to be easier for me to do this.

 

[Derelicte]

In the past few years that I had the Jeep I did what I could to get it prepped for rust repair and paint so I traded my uncle my rims for his stock rims. I also got all new bfgoodrich tires. This year I spent the year driving the Jeep around, getting leaks repaired which just had to have some gaskets replaced, I took the old soft top hardware off, and took off the decals, then in November of 2020 I dropped off the Jeep to a local body shop where they could repair the rust and do the paint job. I just got off the phone with the guy today who said he just brought it in his main garage to start on it so he still says it will be done for spring. I'm currently working on the jabsco lights myself so I can have them brought over to his shop to be mounted on the light bar. Still trying to find a good fit for the wire and piece that it connects to for the lights none of my local auto shops have been able to help me, but I've got a few ideas from the motorpool that I'm looking into. I will keep posting my updates here, but if anybody wants to follow my social media page on facebook or instagram it's @JurassicNewman. Yes, I nicknamed my Jeep Newman because I'm a fan of Seinfeld too.

 

[jerryxenon]

good luck with the build, cant wait to see your progress.

 

[Derelicte]

Hey all, Jeep is almost done. It's taken a long time, but I've gotten some good parts during the wait. Throughout the year we've done complete rust repair, and the paint job. Hoping to be done in a few weeks. Just have to reassemble everything. So hopefully next update we'll be on the road.

 

[Mottrex]

Hey all, Jeep is almost done. It's taken a long time, but I've gotten some good parts during the wait. Throughout the year we've done complete rust repair, and the paint job. Hoping to be done in a few weeks. Just have to reassemble everything. So hopefully next update we'll be on the road.

Awesome.. Iike it a lot

 

[ID10T]

I had toyed with the idea of one of these in the past, but as a Land-Rover guy, I have my hands full already...

But I wanted to point out that Ramsey Winch was offering the correct winches again (limited run) if you wanted one. I get their feed on Instagram and I have no idea if any are left, but figured such a nice project should have that detail right too.